COMMON If something stops you in your tracks or stops you dead in your tracks, it makes you suddenly stop what you are doing because you are very surprised or frightened. Seen across wide fields of corn this magnificent church cannot fail to stop you in your tracks. Note: You can also say that someone stops in their tracks or stops dead in their tracks. They stopped in their tracks and stared at him in amazement. They turned round. And then they stopped dead in their tracks, their hearts beating fast. Somebody was behind them.

COMMON If someone or something stops a process or activity in its tracks or stops it dead in its tracks, they make it immediately stop continuing or developing. Francis felt he would like to stop this conversation in its tracks. These job losses could stop Britain's economic revival dead in its tracks.